Ann Ronald Papers

The Ann Ronald Papers span the years 1839-2017; however, the bulk of the materials date from about 1970-2007 and reflect the teaching and writing career of Ann Ronald. Materials that date from earlier than the 1960s are primarily copies of the originals and were used as research and background materials for Ronald’s many books, articles, and essays.

These papers are a representation of the life and career of Ann Ronald as an English professor and administrator at UNR as well as a prominent writer and scholar in the fields of nature writing, landscape, and ecocriticism in the American West. Much of the material in this collections highlights the books of Ann Ronald and the research and writing process that went into creating a final product. This includes research and background in the form of travel guides, brochures, and visitor information as well as copious notes kept by Ronald from her travels to various locations in Nevada and the surrounding states. Additional book materials include manuscript drafts, contracts, promotional materials, and correspondence with editors and publishers for each of these works.

In additional to materials regarding the writing and publication of her books, there are also copies of all of Ronald’s other writings including articles, book forewords and introductions, and book reviews for numerous journals around the West. In some cases, it is just a copy of the piece, and in others, it includes correspondence regarding the logistics and process of creating the piece.

The materials in this collection offer considerable insights into the various facets of Ronald's personal and professional life beyond her publications, which includes teaching materials from her tenure in the Department of English at UNR. It also includes information on her continued involvement in the Western Literature Association, correspondence with friends, fellow writers, other scholars, editors, publishers, filmmakers, and others interested in topics involving the American West. Also included are Ronald's materials from her college and graduate school education including course materials, exam preparation, and her dissertation, which was later published as a book. There is additional research material in the form of articles, essays, news clips, notebooks, and notecards.

There are a small amount of audio/visual materials in this collection — all audio/visuals were physically kept together with related material in their respective series.

Series 1: Books and Related Research, is organized by ascending publication date and consists of manuscript drafts, correspondence with publishers, reader comments, research, promotional materials and event information, administrative logistics, and any articles or essays that preceded publication or were created later as an offshoot of the book. Every attempt was made to keep relevant research materials in their respective series, but it is possible that some research, especially visitor’s guides, maps, and brochures from notable locations around the West, specifically Glen Canyon, was used for multiple publications. This group is divided into eight series, each of which reflects one of Ann Ronald’s books, excluding Functions of Setting in the Novel, which is Ronald's dissertation that was published as a book in 1980. Copies of all of Ronald's books can be found in both the Special Collections and the general UNR Libraries catalogs.

Series 2: Articles, Book Reviews, and Other Writings, includes copies of and information on the process of writing and publishing Ann Ronald’s countless articles, essays, book reviews, introductions, book forewords, and other forms of writing. In addition to writing drafts, this series also contains pertinent research materials, which is why the date ranges begin so early. Many of the other folders in this group contain supplemental materials and information in addition to a copy or draft of the piece of writing.

Series 3: Western Literature Association, contains various materials that reflect Ann Ronald’s participation in and involvement with the WLA throughout her professional life. The WLA was founded in 1965 as a non-profit, scholarly association that promotes the study of the diverse literature and cultures of the North American West, past and present. In addition to annual meetings, the WLA has published scholarship and promoted the work of scholars in its journal, Western American Literature (WAL). Ronald served on the WLA Executive Board from 1978-1985 and was the Executive Secretary from 1989-1999. Materials include membership directories, papers, essays, meeting minutes from the Executive Committee and Board of Governors, conference planning materials, correspondence with other members, memoranda, conference programs, and various other administrative information.

Series 4, Personal and Professional, acts as a catchall for all other materials in this collection that did not necessarily fit into the other series. This series consists of a variety of materials including general correspondence with editors and publishers at various journals regarding ongoing or potential projects, friends, and colleagues. Any correspondence that does not explicitly pertain to any of the other specific series in this collection can be found in this series. Also included is information on literary panels and programs in which Ann Ronald participated, materials from her years in college and graduate school in the 1960s and early 1970s, teaching resources including syllabi and instruction as well as University-related honors, and finally general research including bibliographic notecards and notebooks including travel notes and ideas.